Environment and Spatial Planning Minister Janez Podobnik looked back at the work of his department in the 2004-2008 term on Monday, telling the press in Ljubljana that in "a dynamic period of intensive economic growth" the ministry had managed to preserve a balance between development and the environment. NGOs begged to differ though.
Podobnik said that the work of the ministry was about finding a way to please the development ambitions of the state, while maintaining a responsible attitude towards the environment. "If I found myself in a dilemma, I always decided in favour of the environment," he added.
Highlighting achievements in spatial planning, Podobnik pointed among other things to important changes in construction standards, while adding that there was still room for improvement in incentives for renovation and energy efficiency.
He moreover labelled as successful the boosting of subsidies for families renovating or buying a house, while also pointing out that waiting periods for complaints in construction related affairs were brought down from one year to four months.
As regards the environment, the minister highlighted an expansion in the number of treatment plants. There are 190 such facilities in the country now, with budget funding having increased from EUR 16m in 2004 to EUR 50m in 2008.
The Environmental Fund granted EUR 100m worth of favourable loans in the past four years, 60% of which were used for projects that curbed greenhouse gas emissions. According to the fund, this resulted in CO2 emissions decreasing by 48,000 tonnes.
Podobnik is moreover proud of the ministry's work in the areas of watercourse maintenance, nature reserves, drinking water supply, waste disposal, and local environmental protection schemes.
Representatives of NGOs, who were invited by the minister to participate in today's presentation, did not share Podobnik's optimism, saying he had been too passive and that he had failed to approach them as equal partners.
Nina Stros of Greenpeace said that given the recognition that climate goals needed to be upgraded it was "inadmissible that we are passive". According to her, Podobnik was paying too much attention to the interests of the industry, while failing to engage in an equal exchange of positions with the NGOs.
Lidija Zivcic of Fokus added that Slovenia still did not have a long-term strategy on climate change and that even though relations with NGOs were more open on the surface, the ministry usually disregarded their comments.
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